Dileep Padgaonkar: After his flip flops and personal attacks, Narendra Modi campaign has lost its sheen

Since his anointment as his party's prime ministerial candidate, Modi has addressed more rallies in more parts of the country, attracted more crowds and wowed them as no one else has. He has got more coverage in both mainstream and social media than either of his two rivals. But his campaign has begun to lose some of its sheen.

One reason is that his personal and highly derogatory attacks on Congress leaders and his advertisements for himself have been far too repetitive and hence far too predictable — something that runs counter to a sound communications strategy. He needs to spell out his programmes and policies, not crib and rant about Congress misdemeanours times without number.

The other reason is that he hasn't quite managed to leverage for himself BJP's victory in three of five states that recently went to polls. In public perception, its architects have been state-level leaders: Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh, Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh and Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan. They would not want to play second fiddle to the party's prime ministerial candidate for long.

Yet another reason relates to his flip-flops. In Patna, he told Muslims and Hindus that their enemy is poverty, not each other. He used that conciliatory tone in his remarks on Pakistan as well. He also called for a debate on Article 370 — that confers a special status on Jammu & Kashmir — rather than reiterate the BJP's traditional stand that the Article should be abrogated.

In Varanasi, however, he reverted to rhetoric redolent with Hindutva allusions. Meanwhile, BJP leaders rushed to clarify that Modi hadn't deviated an inch from the party's position on J&K. All of this left both hardcore Hindutva votaries and non-Hindutva voters who otherwise seemed to be well-disposed towards him a confused lot.

Finally, Modi's detractors will make sure that the ghosts of Godhra and post-Godhra violence don't go away. Nor will questions about intrusive surveillance of a young woman architect by Gujarat's state agencies. Sooner rather than later, Modi's defiant insouciance in these matters could prove to be a handicap.


http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/talking-terms/entry/three-musketeers-ride-credibility-is-at-stake-for-narendra-modi-arvind-kejriwal-and-rahul-gandhi-alike